Independents, who disproportionately voted for Barack Obama in 2008, today are very discouraged about the state of politics and the direction of our country: 70 percent believe the country is on the wrong track, while 18% believe it’s on the right track. When asked how often they felt the federal government does what they would like it to do, 7 percent said “most of the time” while 59 percent said “rarely” or “never.”

Independents now say they lean toward supporting the Republican Party: Independents say they lean toward the Republican Party rather than the Democrats 50 percent to 25 percent. They say the GOP is closer to their views on issues 52 percent to 30 percent.

Independents Lean republican despite a generally unfavorable view of the party: Independents view the Republican Party unfavorably 54 percent to 39 percent. The Democratic Party doesn’t do any better, with a 57 percent unfavorable rating and a 38 percent favorable.

What do Independents think should be done? Independents believe that what would help most with a national recovery is cutting spending (65 percent) and cutting taxes (44 percent). 73 percent think it’s important that the candidates they support in the upcoming election support repealing and replacing the health care legislation. More than six in ten (61 percent) approve of Arizona’s new immigration law.

For interviews with Doug Schoen, Heather Higgins, or any of the other IWV analysts, please contact Christina Jamison-Mozaffari at Christina.Jamison@iwvoice.org. The full poll is available on IWV’s website, www.iwvoice.org.

Independent Women’s Voice is a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization for mainstream women, men and families. IWV is an affiliate organization of the Independent Women’s Forum.